A 49-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man have retained a lawyer and are accusing the Rev. David Ryan, pastor of St. Francis de Sales in Lake Zurich, of sexual abuse from when they were minors, according to Des Plaines police.
The department announced Monday that it was “recently made aware” of the allegations by legal representatives of the Archdiocese of Chicago, which publicly announced Sept. 17 it had been informed of the allegations.
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“The Archdiocese advised Des Plaines investigators that they received a letter from an attorney representing two separate accusers, claiming two past incidents of sexual misconduct, naming Fr. David Ryan as the offender,” the department announced.
The allegations date back to Ryan’s time at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, a child care organization rooted in the Catholic faith, where he began working in 1985.
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According to Des Plaines police, the 49-year-old woman is alleging that Ryan “sexually abused her by groping and fondling her while she was a resident at Maryville Academy” sometime around 1986.
The 36-year-old man claims Ryan “fondled and groped” him sometime between 2002 and 2003 while he was a resident at Maryville Academy.
Ryan was reinstated as pastor at St. Francis de Sales in 2021 after an investigation by authorities and the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Independent Review Board determined there was “insufficient reason to suspect” Ryan had sexually abused minors in the 1990s.
Archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Thomas said it became aware of allegations on Sept. 15, before it reported them to authorities on Sept. 16.
In a Sept. 17 statement, Cardinal Blase Cupich called the allegations “upsetting news.”
“We have appreciated your patience with this process in the past and your understanding that only with an impartial and thorough effort can we fulfill our duty to protect the young people in our care, and if the investigation warrants, restore the good name of the one so accused,” Cupich wrote.
Ryan was eventually promoted to active executive director at Maryville Academy before he was assigned to St. Emily Parish in Mount Prospect in 2005 and became the pastor of St. Francis de Sales in 2006, according to the parish’s website.
Officials from Maryville Academy did not respond to Pioneer Press requests for comment.
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Thomas would not give a timeline for the new investigation by the Independent Review Board, which consists of nine to 11 people appointed by Cupich.
Of the 11, three members of the board are employees of the Archdiocese of Chicago, while eight are “lay Catholics” with backgrounds in psychiatry, psychology or social work, law, and also a survivor or parent of a victim or survivor of sexual abuse, a parish council member and a parent.
“The Independent Review Board performs a thorough investigation of every allegation,” Thomas said. “The board then makes a recommendation to the cardinal.”
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office received a report in 2020 about allegations against Ryan, Cupich stated at that time. However, this time around, officials from the state’s attorney’s office said in an emailed statement to Pioneer Press the office has “not been contacted to review this matter for criminal charges by law enforcement, who would handle the initial investigation.”
A representative from the Archdiocese of Chicago said, however, that it did notify the Cook County state’s attorney’s office of these latest abuse allegations when reporting them to the Des Plaines Police Department and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
DCFS spokesman Bill McCaffrey confirmed the department received a report but could not open an investigation because the department only looks into claims of abuse against those who are currently minors.
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St. Francis de Sales spokeswoman Katie McGlauchlin declined to comment on behalf of the parish when reached by phone.
Further attempts by Pioneer Press to reach Ryan for comment have been unsuccessful. The 71-year-old pastor’s parish voicemail appeared to be disconnected as of Monday.
Thomas said the Archdiocese of Chicago has “had comprehensive policies and procedures handling allegations of abuse” for 30 years.
“We take every allegation seriously, offer pastoral care to every accuser and report every allegation to civil authorities,” Thomas said. “We will do the same with these most recent allegations against Father Ryan.”
